We Are One (Dominion dom of Bimmiel and Gravlex Med)

[Grace Darkson]

Post 9

As they approached, Grace seemed to shudder visibly. The woman had seen, had felt, millions die all around her. But this? This was unnerving in a whole new way. When people died, they left echoes in the force. Usually of pain, or of their sorrows, the things that you'd expect to burn through someone's mind as they died burned into the Force. But here, there was nothing. Not even a sigh of the Force. "It's..." She struggled to find a word for it as she looked from [member="Cedric Grayson"] to [member="Dune Rhur"]. "It's empty."

A shiver ran down her spine. "I've never seen or heard of anything like this." Never had things disappeared without a trace before. Except... Except for the Rapture. Tessa had vanished into the Force, only to reappear weeks later. Could it be the Arch Enemy had made their move? Or was it just another Primeval trick?

Time would tell.

She turned to @Jairdain. "Only one way to find out." A weak smile crossed her face, but it was clear to all: The Sith was scared.

[member="Blurose"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Post: 3/25
Location: Gravlex Med

"The Jedi Council claims that the Primeval destroyed spaceports in an attempt to maximize civilian casualties" Dunames after reading an article in the latest issue of Taking Off on a Star Tour, written by Jessica.

"Suppose that the Jedi Council says the truth about why the Primeval destroyed spaceports: would the explanation provided make any sense?"

"The Council pointed at the Primeval destroying spaceports for cutting off civilians' escape routes as well as the defenders' supply lines, even though the article suggested that the Primeval didn't care that much about cutting enemy supply lines"

While the equipment is being disgorged to build the reactor core assembly of the future toxic waste processing plant, Dunames is left wondering in what timeframe benefits will be accrued, and how many. Because she had little experience beyond operating waste management routes or facilities, she might be wondering how much of a premium that would carry over just ferrying that to Sump (or equivalent locations in that area of space, knowing that Sump is at the other end of the galaxy with respect to Gravlex Med). Destroyed spaceports in former Primeval space were legion; if what Jessica et al said about why the Primeval destroyed spaceports in that corner of the galaxy was true, then the whole poodoo became really clear in Dunames' mind. For far too long all that Dunames has really known about the Primeval was that they destroyed spaceports using Sithspawn: that article made her question even why use Sithspawn, when there are more cost-effective or efficient ways to do so.

 

[Placeholder 0128]

The vessel came to settle upon Gravlex Med's surface. The planet itself was still perfectly stable, the atmosphere safe, the air breathable. Gravity was increased to a very uncomfortable degree, but the shuttle's inner chamber preserved the gravitic properties of Ession.

The doors hissed open, though Cedric didn't need to step off the ship to understand what had happened here. The greenery was replaced by dust and ash. The lands all around them were stripped bare, the soil blackened and dead.

The bones of thousands lingered in random positions along the wasteland. The cadavers remained in the positions in which they had died. Most seemed to be holding their arms to the sky, their jaws slack as if praising something.

"A sacrifice to the Arch-Enemy." Cedric mused, "How far does it extend?"

The information flowed into his HUD. "Far...very far. There is no presence of our enemy left here, only the bodies."

The youth turned to his companions. "They killed Gravlex."

[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Blurose"], [member="Jairdain"], [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

It didn't even take stepping off the shuttle for it to hit him. The feeling had grown in magnitue as they'd gotten closer. In the upper atmosphere it'd felt empty. But now the wrongness practically hit him right in the gut.

He made his way down the boarding ramp feeling unsteady. The wrongness of so much death and destruction left him light-headed. He took it an in with disbelief. Dune didn't need any technology to feel the complete destruction of everything.

Ashes everywhere. Most disturbing of all were the bones. Many lay prone as if in religious worship of something. Perhaps the very things that had done this to them.

The Bith had no words for all of this. The horror mounted and he actively recited the Jedi Code within his mind. There is no Emotion, there is Peace. There is no Death, there is the Force."

[member="Grace Darkson"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Blurose"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Post: 4/25
Location: Gravlex Med

"Reactor assembly away!" the hangar technician reported.

"Good: how long until we can order supplies for the spaceport on Gravlex Med?"

"Did the Primeval destroy that spaceport, too?" the chief engineer asked.

"You bet!"

The chief engineer could be forgiven, since he was newly posted onboard the Maersk of Lanteeb and never worked directly under Dunames before; most people who operated with her in this region would instantly understand that the Primeval destroyed every single spaceport without fail. The remaining question being: the size. How many supplies they will require is a question of the size of the original spaceport. Did Gravlex Med operate much like the spaceport on Kaeshana? Or more like Cademimu-Flashpoint? Dunames has to acknowledge that, while the Primeval destroyed every single spaceport without fail, she might not be the best resource to ensure that the rebuilt spaceport will actually meet their needs. Then again, she is hesitant: unless she somehow had a way to sell off her massive investment in pyronium futures, or some other such thing, the finances of rebuilding the Primeval spaceports may be a little much unless accompanied by sufficient revenues from commuter and non-commuter sources.

 

[Soeht]

Soeht remained silent during the trip.

When the shuttle landed on Gravlex Med, Soeht turned his head toward each person travelling with [member="Cedric Grayson"]. [member="Blurose"] and [member="Jairdain"] suffered just a brief glance. [member="Grace Darkson"] maintained Soeht's attention for slightly longer. When [member="Dune Rhur"] began to recite the Jedi Code, Soeht locked his view onto the Bith for a long moment.

Eventually, Soeht [acronym="What makes you believe you can stop the Arch-Enemy when she can cause this?"]returned his focus[/acronym] to the Arch Lord.

 

[Jairdain]

"This is like what happened to my home. All the life was just gone in a heartbeat and a flash of light."

Jairdain remembered the feeling of what happened and was filled a great sorrow. Both for her now dead people and for these that used to be here.

She looked outside and wondered if this was what her world looked like.

Without a thought of what dangers may be left, she rose and strode to the bottom of the ramp. Ever so slowly, she fell to her knees and appeared to be appealing to some sort of higher power.

"May the souls of these people find the fields of reeds."

Standing up, she picked up a handful of gravel and blew it away with her prayer.

[member="Soeht"] [member="Dunames Lopez"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Post 10

A shiver ran down her spine as she stepped onto the ashen surface. Or maybe that was the gravity. Either way, there was a part of her that wanted to leave as soon as possible. Okay, many parts. She scooped down, letting the ashes run between her fingers. "If they can do this to an entire planet..." Her voice trailed off, letting the question hang in the air. This kind of power was almost unheard of. Death on this scale, and so quickly?

Looking up, her eyes fixed on the skeletons nearby. They seemed to be praying, as if worshiping the beings that would bring about their end. Foolish idiots. Death was not some great gift, it was torment in the Netherworld. Anyone who thought otherwise was a fool who didn't understand the threads the galaxy was woven from. Her eyes narrowed. They served nothing but to bring an end to the world. An end neither necessary nor timely. And for that, they deserved neither mercy nor pity.

"How did they do this?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Dune Rhur"] @Jairdain @Soeht

 

[Placeholder 0128]

"Not a clue, but I would like to find out." Cedric mumbled in reply to Grace. He made sure to keep his cowl in place as he observed the ruined land around them. The young Archlord had no desire to breath in ash that might have been human flesh just hours prior.

"I do not know." He spoke more privately to @Soeht.

"But I will find a way. Better to face impossible odds with faith than to conquer a galaxy without it." He answered as he stepped out into the wastes. There was an oppressive feeling to the world, and the air smelled of sulfur and the sickly sweet stench of decay.

"I will call for a garrison to be established on the stable side of the planet. There is nothing more for us here."

[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Dune Rhur"], [member="Jairdain"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

The Bith shook his head slowly, sadly. Nothing could be done here as the young Grayson said. Too late to do anything but offer up a prayer for their souls. So he did so silently and took some solace in that they were one with the Force now.

A garrison would prevent this from happening again. It was too little and too late for these poor beings turned to bones and dust. It was also a stark reminder that they couldn't treat their enemy with kid gloves. They were the worst kind of evil.

"If there is nothing more," he said quietly "Then let's go."

[member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Grace Darkson"] [member="Jairdain"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Post: 5/25
Location: Gravlex Med

"Any data on past, pre-Primeval traffic volumes for that place? Might want to build a spaceport there if there is an interest for something"

"Primeval? It seems every transportation infrastructure in this region is somehow related to a need to repair the damage the Primeval caused" Merrily responded, while faking an expression of annoyance.

"Perhaps on a commuter level, boss"

"Now launch a local architectural contest: challenges of low-gravity planets may be handled poorly by architects that have no experience on low-gravity planets. Oh and also it must fit the size of a commuter spaceport with room for expansion"

If what she understood about architecture on low-gravity planets is correct, it allows for materials savings because there is less weight, even though the mass of what goes on the floor plates remains largely the same. Less expensive if materials can be locally sourced, too: Dunames then sent in the instructions for the architectural contest over the HolooNet. Meanwhile other vital installations onboard the station are being fitted, especially those close to the main reactor. Thus far the waste processing station on Gravlex Med was being built from the inside out...

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain remained silent through the exchanges of [member="Dune Rhur"], [member="Cedric Grayson"] and [member="Grace Darkson"].

"It was suggested that what happened to my people was a Netherworld event, but I always thought it had something more to do with the other students in class getting banished as I did. An act of what you call the Dark side"

Speaking quietly in the somber atmosphere, she looks at each of them through the Force. They all know when it is she looks at them, a slight caress through the Force.

She is still weak from her captivity and this small excursion started to show on her. Jairdain maintained as much composure as she could, but felt like both crying in sorrow and falling asleep on her feet.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Post 11

Grace stood, quiet, as she listened to the Archlord. A quiet cough escaped her, and she tried her best to not let the rest of the disturbed ashes cling to the inside of her throat. The last thing she needed was to be breathing in ashes that were once people. Slow steps carried her away from the shuttle's ramp, and she stared out at the expense. "Not even the Dark Side, in all its power, could have done this..." She muttered, just loud enough for @Jairdain. "There's no Force echo. It's like they just valashed, like the rapture event six years ago."

Shaking her head, she reached out in the force to the surrounding area. "This goes for half the planet?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Post: 6/25
Location: Gravlex Med

"It appears that the local regulations for practicing architecture are pretty lax" the legal counsel told Dunames.

"We'd rather hire a structural engineering firm ASAP for the spaceport on the planet: do you know any good structural engineering firms specialized in low-gravity planetside environments?"

"Looking through the directory"

Sometimes a good structural engineering firm can make up for architectural shortcomings, but at other times, no amount of intervention from civil engineering could save a building. Indeed, some of the entries were pretty ridiculous, looking like upscaled McMansions that featured in the Bimmisaari chapter of the "Worst of McMansions Across of the Galaxy" book, sold by the Sith Inquisitor; Bimmisaari is well-known for McMansions with generally wooden interiors and shingles. Yet Bimmisaari was one of those planets where Inner and Mid Rim wealthy residents purchased McMansions for exorbitant prices that could only be matched on Core Worlds. That was going to be a long day, especially when the actual equipment used to process the toxic waste in the station was just unloaded.

 

[Placeholder 0128]

"Then it is best we leave." Cedric stated plainly. He had seen all that he had been meant to see, and now he turned back toward the safety of the shuttle. The void had come to greet them here, but he would not give it any semblance of attention.

The arch-enemy wished for them all to see what it had wrought. The Archlord would not give it that sort of satisfaction. No, there were far greater issues that needed to be taken care of. If Gravlex was dead...well, then it was dead. There was little they could do for ghosts.

"Take us up." He snapped to the pilot.

The man at the helm wasted no time in complying. Sighing, Cedric lowered himself into one of the passenger seats, a hand running through his hair as he removed his mask. "Something like that Grace," he thumped on the side of the vehicle. "Take us to the garrison. Our people need care."

[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Jairdain"], [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

Dune sighed with relief as he sat. Being there was draining him. It pulled on his very soul to see this madness and death all around. So very wrong to feel all of this all around him.

The faster they escaped this the better. Nothing could be done for these souls. Better to focus on what he could do for those still alive. At the garrison he could be of better use.

Focus on the living and mourn for the dead later.

[member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Post 12

Nothingness, espically for such a great distance was foreign to her. She shuttered, the reaching tendrils of the Dark Side slamming back to where she stood, her body shivering. This was insane. Madness. How could anyone be okay with this? How could anyone just accept this for themselves? Maybe they didn't understand. But at least some of them had to have harbored doubts, wondered what insanity they were tottering on. What of them? Did they simply bow, afraid to act out from the cult? Maybe. She shook her head.

They were fools, the lot of them. If they had blindly followed, then they were mindless, following whatever master offered them what they wished for. If not, they were too caught up in their fears to step out of line in the errand that would kill them. Could she really feel remorse for such beings?

She decided she couldn't as she climbed onto the shuttle and took her seat. It was easier that way.

[member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Mutely following the others Jairdain boarded the shuttle. Sitting gratefully down, she mourned the deaths over again.

There was nothing she could do in her current state let alone if she was at full health.

Quiet tears ran down the young woman's face. She was almost oblivious to the other silently sitting around her.

[member="Grace Darkson"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Post: 7/25
Location: Gravlex Med

"The first quote is in" the accounts payable technician told Dunames.

"From whom?"

"Ziff & Associates: for 50,000 credits, we can get the work done"

"Really? I'm surprised they could do it for so little!" Dunames commented, a little surprised.

Dunames expected that structural engineers would cost more than that, especially the more specialized they were. From her past experience, she knew that it would cost at least as much as it would an architectural firm. Architectural firms tended to cost within a certain range of the project's total cost regardless of the project; structural engineers were much more variable in this respect. So she jumped into this opportunity, knowing that Ziff & Associates were also in the running for the Mirial project without issues. Meanwhile, in the outside space around the ship, additional equipment was being installed inside the orbital station, but it was far from over...

 

[Placeholder 0128]

A stern silence fell over the vessel's hold, save for Jairdain's quiet sobs. Cedric offered her a look of sympathy, and even went so far as to place a steadying hand on her shoulder. He could offer her no smile, nor could he give her any comforting words, but the gesture was all the same.

The dropship roared as it soared outward toward the garrison. The stronghold had been hastily erected to serve as an FOB on Gravlex. The men here had expected to be fighting a war, but all that had awaited to greet them was death and decay.

Some were disheartened. Others were overjoyed.

"We fight to prevent this end for our people." Cedric rose to his feet, his tone resolute. "This will not happen again. Not so long as we can prevent it."

A hand was offered to [member="Jairdain"]. "Now, let's all get some caf, and maybe a shower."

[member="Jairdain"], [member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Dune Rhur"]